A method for two‐dimensional layout of semantic structure graphs

A questionnaire containing multiple‐choice questions is a representative method to investigate human behavior. Previously, Takeya proposed the semantic structure analysis (SS analysis) as an analytical means for data obtained by the forementioned method. A structural graph of the SS analysis is called an SS graph, and it is conceived that the SS graph is of the hierarchical structure when items are laid out taking the ordinate for the measurement as the statistic such as mean evaluation values. However, no argument has been made with the layout of the abscissa. With this in mind, an observation concerning the unsolved problem, i.e., a method for two‐dimensional layout of the semantic structure graph, is given in this paper. To solve this problem, a concept of a zone is introduced from a relationship between the ordering coefficient and the factor load by means of the centroid method. Then a measure to compose the abscissa by means of the zone determination values is proposed. It is shown that not only can the relationship among the individual items be comprehended but also the meanings grasped as item groups together with the meanings among the item groups. Furthermore, by observing the linkage of the amount of information possessed by the individual items, especially of the effective category numbers and mean evaluation values, by means of a model and examples, the size of scattering of the evaluation values is explained explicitly by composing the abscissa by means of this effective category number. Thus, the relationship of items including the response pattern can be grasped.